Emiliano Martinez shines, Moussa Diaby stinks out Stamford Bridge – Aston Villa player ratings v Chelsea
Aston Villa clinched all three points at Stamford Bridge in their Premier League clash with Chelsea on Sunday (24 September).
The match ended goalless at the break, with the home side reduced to 10 men shortly after through Malo Gusto’s red card.
But Villa striker Ollie Watkins was the hero, scoring the only goal of the game in the 78th minute to secure a huge win for Unai Emery’s men.
Here, Aston Villa News rates the Villa players out of 10 for their performances from the Chelsea clash that earned the Midlands club all three points.
Emiliano Martinez – 8 (Man of the Match)
Enjoyed a very stable afternoon at Stamford Bridge as he commanded his box well, with the goalkeeper making four saves on the way to an important clean sheet, as well as being successful in his one attempted run out [SofaScore].
Matty Cash – 7
Came into the game as the minutes went on, with the full-back ending the match with a very impressive 94% passing accuracy.
Ezri Konsa – 7
Was kept very busy by a bright Chelsea front line, but was key to helping the visitors keep that clean sheet, winning all three of his ground duels.
Pau Torres – 6
The summer signing was also kept on his toes all afternoon by the lively Chelsea attack, and impressed on the ball as usual with a 90% pass success rate.
Lucas Digne – 6
Tried his best to get forward in West London but was constantly forced into defending against the Blues, with Digne making four tackles throughout the match.
Boubacar Kamara – 7
Kept things ticking over very well in the midfield, and was crucial off the ball in stopping the many Chelsea attacks, with Kamara making five tackles, more than any other player.
Douglas Luiz – 5
Tried his utmost to win the midfield battle against the likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher, but the Brazilian won only four of his 10 ground duels.
Moussa Diaby – 3
A rare quiet afternoon for the winger, who has been a star for Villa since arriving in the summer transfer window. He won just one of his four duels at Stamford Bridge.
John McGinn – 5
Another rare disappointing display from a player usually bustling with energy. The Scotland international struggled to get on the ball and managed just 19 passes, completing just 14 of those.
Nicolo Zaniolo – 6
Threatened the Chelsea defence at times with his pace and trickery, but was poor with his passing, registering a pass success rate of just 67%.
Ollie Watkins – 7
Was very quiet for the majority of the match in West London, but did what all good strikers do best, taking his opportunity to find the back of the net when it finally came around, with his superb goal clinching all three points for his team. As well as his goal, he won both of his ground duels.
Substitutes
Leon Bailey (on for Zaniolo, 75′) – N/A
Jacob Ramsey (on for McGinn, 75′) – N/A
Youri Tielemans (on for Diaby, 81′) – N/A
Leander Dendoncker (on for Kamara, 90′) – N/A
Jhon Duran (on for Watkins, 90′) – N/A
In other Aston Villa news, an Aston Villa Women defender has been handed a club honour following the exit of one player.